


The Fairytale Collection

by raise-our-glasses-to-freedom (queerfave)



Category: Hamilton - Miranda
Genre: Beauty and the Beast, Cinderella - Freeform, M/M, Sleeping Beauty - Freeform, The little mermaid - Freeform, fairytale AU, rapunzel - Freeform
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-05-19
Updated: 2017-05-28
Packaged: 2018-11-02 07:15:50
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 4
Words: 21,647
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10939608
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/queerfave/pseuds/raise-our-glasses-to-freedom
Summary: Hamilton fanfiction, set in Fairytale AUs.





	1. If The Shoe Fits

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Casting:  
> Cinderella : Alexander Hamilton  
> Prince Charming : John Laurens  
> The Fairy Godmother : George Washington  
> Evil Stepmother : Aaron Burr  
> Evil Stepsisters : Thomas Jefferson ; James Madison

Once upon a time, a mother lived happily with her two sons in a small cottage by the edge of the wood. The mother and her sons did not live a life of luxury; however, they lived happily in each others’ company. However, one dreadful winter, the three of them fell sick with the fever, the mother in the worst condition of them all. One day, knowing she would soon die, she called her two sons to her bedside. 

“My dear sons, James, Alexander,” she spoke to them, “remember that you are good children. Continue to be good and kind, and you will find happiness in your life, and I will be proud of you. You are Hamiltons. Do not forget your name.” After she declared to her sons her final message, she died calmly in peace. James and Alexander cried every night, wishing that she still lived, and that she would enter the front door of their cottage and smile. They missed her dearly. 

 

When the spring came, the two boys buried their mother in the forest beside their cottage. The summer came and ended, yet every day, Alexander, the younger of the two sons, would go to his mother’s grave each day and cry, and wish that his mother could sit by his side once again. He would remember his mother’s last message, and he would always aspire to be good and kind. 

 

The ground began to be cloaked with frost, and one day, their mother’s grave became covered with a soft white blanket. Still, every day, Alexander would go and sit beside the grave and feel his mother’s presence. Life was ruthless to the two boys; they were forced to hunt the animals of the forest and harvest food themselves, and they were compelled to make new clothes with the scraps of fabric they owned. Their lives were certainly not as content as before; however, the boys became accustomed to hard work to ensure their survival, knowing they were lucky to have kept their lives instead of having lost them to the deadly fever that took their mother. When the snow melted and the spring came again, James arrived home to give Alexander some excellent news. 

“Alexander, my brother,” he announced, “I have found us a place to live. This is a place where we will be happy and comfortable, where we will have warm food to eat and company other than ourselves. Come with me today, Alexander.”

“Where is this place?” Alexander inquired his brother. 

“It is on the other side of the forest,” James recited. “It is a few hours’ walk from here. We will be able to visit mother’s grave from there.”

“Who shall we live with?” Alexander then demanded. 

“A new mother and father. They are kind and honest; they will treat us well and ensure that we are armed with the opportunities to succeed in our lives. There are also three others, of our age. Their names are Aaron, Thomas and James. We shall have more brothers, Alexander- imagine that!”

Alexander did not want to leave the grave of his mother for another person to discover. However, the lure of warm food and company were the reasons why, when the sun rose over the horizon, James and Alexander left for this new home. When they arrived, they were greeted by who would become their parents and their three new step-brothers: Aaron, Thomas and James Jr. 

James Jr was a small, sickly child who did not speak or make noise apart from the occasional sniffle. He would generally be spotted reading books- if one could find him first. He had a habit of hiding from other people so as to not socialize with others. If he was forced to socialize, he could be found clinging to his brother, Thomas. He was the youngest of the boys, and his timidity made him easy to pick on. The only thing that prevented this was Thomas. 

Thomas was a loud, brash boy. He was rude and overbearing, but protected his brother James Jr dearly. He had a flair for the extravagant and fabulous, and loved being the center of attention. He would frequently be found prancing around the estate in his father’s magenta velvet coat, pretending he was in charge of the estate. He was tall and intimidating; he would bully anyone who tried to pick on James Jr. Being the middle child, he knew that he had to make a ruckus to be noticed, and it worked. If his parents knew that his disasters were to be the center of attention, they did not try to change it; instead, he learned that the way to attention was to be a troublemaker. 

Aaron, the eldest of the three children, was by far the most similar to Alexander. Both boys had been orphaned; Aaron was also an adopted child. They both shared a passion to study law, and while Burr was a great many things that Alexander was not, he did not share Alexander’s ability with a quill. 

Despite the stark differences between the three boys, they were very close; although Aaron was adopted, he had been adopted at a young age and had grown up beside two brothers. These three boys were content in each others’ company, and they did not desire to have this company breached by another individual in their house. 

The day that James and Alexander Hamilton arrived, the three boys were playing out in the yard. Thomas and Aaron were sitting in the grass, talking and laughing, whereas James Jr was making a conscious effort to avoid anything that could potentially make him sicker. The three brothers saw the newcomers from very far away, and as they approached the house, Aaron entered the house to warn his parents of the intruders. 

“Mother, Father,” he called, “there are people approaching the house. They appear to be my age.”

“Yes, Aaron, dear,” their mother responded. “They are the two children that we are fostering. They lived across the wood, but their mother died recently, so your father and I have decided to take them in. Let us go out and greet your new brothers.”

So the three brothers lined up with their parents outside of their estate as James and Alexander approached the house. The mother was the first to speak.

“Hello, James, Alexander,” she smiled, giving the boys a warm look. “I will be your foster mother. These are your new brothers- Aaron, Thomas and James Jr. I do hope that you enjoy being here with us, as much as we will enjoy your company.”

The words of the mother were true in her beliefs. She hoped that her three sons could accept their new brothers and become a content family. Her sons, however, had a contrasting opinion. 

James and Alexander marveled in the luxury of their new home. Never in their life had they beheld such splendor, and never in their life had they obtained a chance to indulge in wealth. Their simple cottage on the other side of the wood seemed small and shabby in comparison. 

A week passed. The boys were well-fed. They slept comfortably, and they were warm and dry. Alexander began to occupy himself with the large library that was at his disposal; he spent hours upon hours each day reading anything that he could get his hands on. 

Aaron, Thomas and James Jr were accustomed to the assimilation of two more people in the house. Although James Hamilton was several years older than Aaron, and Alexander just slightly older than Thomas, the three saw their new brothers as nuisances and as disruptions in their house. They did not despise James Hamilton to an extreme degree; he stayed out of their paths, and they hardly ever saw him as he spent most of his time studying. However, no matter how much they tried to be friendly, they could not tolerate Alex and his keenness to learn. 

One day, Aaron approached Alexander. 

“Hello, Alexander,” Aaron spoke. 

“Good morning, Aaron!” Alexander replied cheerfully, unaware of what was ahead. 

“You have had a week to live here, without having to work at all. Now you must learn how to work here. You will clean up after Thomas, James Jr and I. You will sweep the floor and clean the house, inside and out.”

“Are there not servants here?” Alexander asked, confused. 

“Yes, and you will work among them until you learn to value work,” Aaron told him. “You will become a part of this family eventually; but for now, you must work for your right to live here.”

From that moment on, Alexander cleaned up after Aaron, Thomas and James Jr. James Hamilton spent hours outside every day; he was often not around to see the manner in which the brothers treated Alexander. The mother and father would often assume the boys were playing together, and would dismiss their sons’ cruel behaviour as playful and sweet bantering. 

“How do you think our boys get along?” The husband would ask. 

“Oh, they are bantering back and forth,” the mother would then say. “I have seen it many times from when I was a child growing up. Their behaviour is playful. They are happy in each others’ company.”

Several years followed, and James announced that he was going away for his studies. However, he promised to return with a gift for each of his brothers.

“I wish for fine clothes, finer than any I own,” Thomas stated. 

“I wish for parchment, so that I may write,” recited James Jr. 

“I wish for more books, so that I may continue to read,” Aaron desired. 

“And you, Alexander?” Asked James. 

“I wish for the first sapling that you find on your journey,” Alexander spoke. 

James left, and their gifts arrived many months later. Each of the brothers received their wish; Thomas received clothes, James Jr received books, and Aaron received his parchment. The final gift was a sapling for Alexander. He took this sapling and planted it on his mother’s grave. The sapling reminded Alexander that his mother’s spirit still watched on, and if he followed her message, she would be happy and proud of him. He would bear the family name with pride. 

Many years passed, and Alexander would constantly work, day and night, to ensure that he could continue to live with the family who had graciously taken him in. James Hamilton had left a long while ago for school; so Alexander was often left to clean up after his three brothers. He had long ago realized that he was not working to earn a real spot with the others; but he did not dare demand to be free from this work, for the kind people had taken him in after his mother’s death, when he had needed help the most. Before his mother’s death, she had told her sons to be good and kind; and Alexander intended to honor his mother and do exactly that. 

Every month, Alexander would leave the estate and go to his mother’s grave, where the sapling had grown into a great tree. Every time he went to this tree, he would talk.

“Mother, I am kind. I am good. I serve my new family willingly because they showed me kindness. I am blessed to honor you in this way.”

Every time Alexander went to visit his mother. Thomas and James Jr would make fun of him for taking time off. 

“Oh, our brother needs to go cry because his mommy is dead!” They would taunt, laughing. 

Only Aaron showed the slightest bit of remorse. His parents were also dead, and he would not forget that he and Alexander were similar people. Still, despite this, he treated Alexander badly. 

Alexander would not forget how his brothers treated him. He would occasionally receive letters from James, who would tell him of the marvels at their school. James would always ask how Alexander’s life was at the estate. He never had the heart to answer. 

_ Mother told me that if we are good and kind, we will find happiness. I am good and kind; so why am I not happy? _

_ Mother told me to never forget that I am a Hamilton. We are resilient; we are hard-working; we take what we have and we are grateful. I have more here than I ever had before. I should be grateful. I am grateful for what I have. One day they will see me as an equal; I know it. Or, perhaps one day, they will send me away to school like they did my brother James; and I will be happy for I will see him again.  _

 

“Aaron, dear, how is Alexander?” the mother would ask sometimes. “I hardly ever see him!” This was a true statement; for Alexander would hardly use the main staircases, and would instead use the hidden servant staircases to travel around the estate. 

“Oh, he is fine,” Aaron would respond. “He spends so much time up in his room, studying. He wishes to be like his older brother.”

“Rightly so. They are two boys of keen intelligence, and they will have excellent lives.”

 

One day, the boys’ mother came home with exciting news. 

“My sons, the king is holding a ball,” she announced. “His son, John, will be at this ball. If you can become friends with John, we will become richer become our wildest dreams.”

Aaron, Thomas and James Jr were excited at the thought of this. They spent hours upon hours talking about what they might wear and how they might become friends with Prince John. Alexander was excited as well; but he dared not share his sentiments, for he did not want to cross his boundaries. 

However, as the three boys were being fitted for their new suits, Alexander decided to ask. 

“Am I permitted to attend the ball as well?” He asked. 

“Oh, Alexander, of course!” the mother responded. “We will have you fitted for a nice suit as well, and present you as our son.”

After she left, Thomas sneered. “Yes, Alexander. You can attend the ball. But first, you will have to complete a full list of chores for us.”

“Which I will complete willingly,” Alexander responded. 

The three brothers thought about the worst chores that they could give to Alexander to ensure that he would never have time to attend the ball. The day after this event, Alexander went to visit his mother at her grave. He found two pigeons perched on the branches of the tree. These two pigeons came down and landed on Alexander’s outstretched arm. 

“Well, hello, little birds,” Alexander grinned. “I shall name you Lafayette and Mulligan.”

As he concluded his visit and returned to the estate, Alexander was confronted by his brothers. 

“We have a list of chores for you,” Thomas taunted, a smile on his face. “If you can complete all of them, maybe you will have time to get fitted for a new suit. You know that you can’t go to the ball without a new suit.”

Alexander knew this very well. His ragged, tattered clothes would not impress the king, and he would bring shame to his brothers and to the family who had graciously taken him in. 

“Your first chore is to clean up the lentils that we have strewn about the fireplace,” Thomas ordered. “If there is one lentil missing, you will have to redo your chore, for we cannot have lentils in the fireplace, can we?” 

So Alexander went to the fireplace and beheld the lentils strewn about. As his brothers sneered and laughed at him, thinking that he would never be able to complete this impossible task, he found a pot and began to pick up the lentils one by one. As the boys left, Alexander had an idea. He went to the window and opened it. Then, in a clear voice, he whistled a tune out the window. Within a few minutes, his pigeons, Lafayette and Mulligan, perched on the windowsill. 

“Hello, my friends. I need you to help me,” Alexander explained. “You must pick up the lentils that are strewn about the fireplace and place them in the pot.”

The birds looked at Alexander wil understanding in their beady eyes and they flew in, taking lentils in their mouths and dropping them into the pot. Each lentil clanged against the metal at a sufficient speed. 

After an hour, the brothers returned. They were astonished to see that not only had Alexander picked every single lentil from the fireplace, but that he had also completed every other chore on the list. 

“It is impossible! You cheated!” Exclaimed Thomas, enraged. 

“Check the fireplace. There are no more lentils. The dishes are also washed, and the floor is swept. I have completed the chores,” Alexander responded simply. “May I be fitted for a new suit?” 

Despite the brothers’ wishes, Alexander was fitted for a new suit for the ball. He was pleased with his small victory, for even though he served these three brothers, he wished to see them unhappy for a moment. 

As soon as the thought crossed his mind, Alexander wished he could take it back.  _ Mother, I am so sorry. I do not wish to be a cruel, mean-spirited person; I wish to honor you and our family by being kind and good to others. Please forgive me, mother. _ Later that day, Alexander saw the pigeons land on the windowsill, and he knew that he was forgiven by his mother. 

 

Several days later, the three brothers were still upset at Alexander’s victory, so they schemed on how to prevent him from going to the ball. Several hours before they were expected to arrive, the brothers approached a weary Alexander. 

“To go the the ball with us tonight, you must complete another list of chores,” demanded Aaron. “We have spread more lentils in front of the fireplace. This time, instead of filling one pot, you must fill four. If you can complete this, as well as your other chores, you may come to the ball with us.”

So Alexander went and called the pigeons to pick up the lentils from the fireplace while he completed all of the other chores. When the lentils sat in the four pots, Alexander went and changed into his new suit. 

The three brothers were astonished that Alexander could complete these tasks in time. In one last desperate act to keep Alexander away from the ball, Aaron ripped the sleeve of Alexander’s suit. 

“Now your suit is ripped, so you cannot go to the ball with us,” Aaron announced. 

“That is unfair!” Alexander cried. “I have completed your chores. I finished what you have asked of me; you cannot keep me from the ball!” 

“You cannot go the the ball. Your sleeve is ripped. You will embarrass us all,” Thomas then spoke. 

In his heart, Alexander knew that Thomas and Aaron were truthful in their statements. Therefore, instead of going to the ball, Alexander went to the fireplace and settled on the floor in front of the ashes. The two pigeons watched from the window. 

“Sweetheart, where is Alexander? I thought he wanted to come with us!” The mother asked Aaron. 

“Oh, no. He decided to stay home and read instead. He does not wish to socialize,” Aaron lied. “His studies are so important to him. He wants to follow in his brother’s footsteps, going away to study when he is older.”

Due to the fact that the mother believed that Aaron and Alexander had a relationship on excellent standings, she believed her son and did not inquire further. 

After the others left, Alexander fled to the tree near his mother’s grave. “Oh, mother! You always told me that to be happy, we should be good and kind. I have been good and kind my whole life, but I have not become happy! I am treated badly, and I wish for happiness. What should I do?” 

After he pronounced these words, the two pigeons flew down from the highest branches to perch in front of Alexander. 

“I know that your intentions are good, but you are only pigeons. What can you do to help me now?” Alexander cried. The pigeons flew over Alexander’s shoulder. As he turned around, he saw that he was not alone beside his mother’s grave. Another man stood behind him, and the pigeons perched on his arm. 

“Alexander, I can grant you our wish to go to the ball,” the man proclaimed, “but you must return by midnight. If you do not return by midnight, you will not be happy with the consequences.”

“Yes, I can return by midnight!” Alexander exclaimed. “Who are you?” 

“I am George Washington, and I will grant you a nicer suit than the one that you wear and a guarantee that your brothers will not recognize you. You can meet the prince, but you must return by midnight or the magic will wear off and your brothers will know who you are.”

“Yes, I will do this,” responded Alexander. George Washington then granted Alexander with a nice suit, and sent him on his way to the palace. 

As Alexander arrived, he caught the eye of Prince John nearly immediately. While many other people, including Aaron, Thomas and James Jr, attempted to catch the young royal’s attention, his focus was entirely on Alexander. Prince John invited Alexander to come outside, away from all of the commotion. 

“Now, you must tell me who you are,” John requested to Alexander. 

“I will not; for if other people overhear, I do not wish to reveal my presence,” Alexander explained. 

“Very well. You are a mystery to me, which shall be fair; for likely I am very much a mystery to you,” John replied. 

Alexander then noticed the time. “It is nearly midnight! I must leave, but I will not forget the kindness you have shown me.”

Alexander then fled away from the palace back to his mother’s grave, where he is greeted by George Washington. 

“I will remove the magic from you. Now you must pretend to have been at the estate the entire time,” Washington commanded. Alexander agreed, and he was transformed back into his tattered suit that Aaron had destroyed. 

The three brothers returned from the ball, they would only talk about the mystery man who had captured the attention of the prince, not thinking for a moment that it could have been Alexander. 

“His clothes were so exquisite … He must have been a prince from another kingdom!” Thomas believed. His brothers agreed. 

The day later, the prince went around to every house in the kingdom, looking for the man who had captured his attention. As he arrived at the house where Alexander lived, Alexander quickly climbed into the chicken coop to avoid being seen by the prince, not wanting to reveal his identity to the family. 

Prince John searched the estate, then saw the chicken coop. “My, that chicken coop is large enough for someone to fit inside,” John proclaimed. “May I be permitted to look inside?” 

“There is nobody inside the chicken coop,” Aaron proclaimed. “I shall destroy it just to show you.”

Aaron then went and laid waste to the chicken coop- thankfully, none of the chickens were inside, and neither was Alexander. He had climbed out of the back at the last minute. 

As Prince John could not find his mystery man, he proclaimed to the kingdom that there would be another ball, and all who had attended the first had to attend the second. The night before the ball, Alexander snuck off to the tree and met George Washington, who bestowed upon him fine clothes and a guarantee that his family would not recognize him. 

Prince John spent the evening with Alexander. As the clock neared midnight, John again asked Alexander, “Will you reveal at least your name to me so that I can find you again?” 

Alexander, concerned by the time, then declined and hurried out of the palace and back to his mother’s grave. 

Prince John went to his father, the king, after the ball had ended. 

“Father, the mystery man has not only captured my attention, but my heart as well. I love him, and I wish to find him.”

Although King Henry disapproved of his son’s affection towards another man, he agreed. 

“You may go on another hunt through the kingdom to try and find the man who has captured your heart.”

 

Aaron, Thomas and James Jr continuously conversed about the prince’s mystery man, not imagining that he was anyone other than a wealthy prince from another kingdom. 

“He has such nerve, running away from the prince two nights in a row!” Aaron exclaimed. “One would think that a life at the palace would not be so dreadful one would wish to run away.”

“If the prince wished for any of us to stay in the castle, I daresay that we would not make such a foolish choice!” Thomas announced. “Both the king and the prince must be infuriated.”

“Yet, where would he run to?” James Jr pondered. “If he is a prince from another kingdom, where would he run and be comfortable?” He and his brothers thought, but they could not conjure an answer to this excellent question. 

 

The next day, Prince John went again to try and find Alexander, his mystery man. This time, Alexander climbed the peach tree and hid there. Prince John again remarked that the peach tree could potentially harbor a person. 

“There is nobody in the peach tree,” Thomas affirmed. “I shall chip it down to create firewood to prove this to you.”

So the peach tree was cut down, and the family feasted on peaches that night. Alexander, however, had been safe from harm; he had jumped down from the peach tree before the axe had cut down the tree. 

A third ball was announced, and Alexander arrived in clothes more splendid than before. 

The prince quietly announced to Alexander, “My heart is yours, my mystery man. If you give me your name, if you love me, please stay.”

As midnight neared, he ran out of the palace, but the prince had laid a trap. The stairs of the palace were coated in tar that made Alexander’s shoes stick. Alexander was forced to leave his shoes in the staircase of the palace and run back to the tree. 

George Washington greeted Alexander. 

“Alexander, your shoes are enchanted to fit only your feet. They will never fit another, so eventually the prince will find you.”

The prince went throughout the kingdom with Alexander’s shoes, determined to find the man who had captured his heart. 

“If the shoe fits your foot, you shall come back to the palace with me, for I will know that I have found the mystery man who has claimed my heart,” announced the prince. 

Arriving at the estate, he convinced the parents to allow their sons to try on the shoes. 

Thomas tried on the shoes first. However, the shoes were enchanted, so his feet were unable to fit. Aaron convinced Thomas to cut of one of his toes to fit inside the shoe. He did this, but when he was presented to the prince, John noticed that there was blood in the shoe. 

“There is blood in the shoe. I know that you are not my mystery man!” John announced. 

James Jr tried on the shoe next, but it did not fit. Aaron convinced James Jr to cut of a bit of his heel to fit inside the shoe. However, the prince noticed this feat also. 

“Neither of you are my mystery man!” He announced. 

Aaron tried on the shoe as well, but he was not willing to cut of parts of his foot to fit the shoe, so he admitted defeat. He gave the shoe back to the prince, bowing deeply.

“Are there no other men living here?” 

“Only our other son, Alexander,” mentioned the mother. “However, he stayed home instead of going to the ball.”

“Let him try the shoe!” Prince John announced. 

“It could never be Alexander! He does not leave the estate, and he never could have appeared in such fine clothes like the ones that your mystery man wears!” Thomas exclaimed. 

“Let him try it anyway! You shall not question the choices of the prince,” John responded. 

Alexander was brought out, and he slowly slipped on the shoe. It miraculously fit, and Prince John was pleased, knowing that he had found his mystery man. 

“So, my mystery man is named Alexander,” he announced. “Please come back to the palace with me!” 

Alexander agreed to do so, and so they rode back to the palace. As they left the estate, the two pigeons, who had watched the entire spectacle, swooped down and blinded the three brothers. 

 

While Alexander and Prince John rode back to the palace, Alexander’s mind was buzzing. He had never confessed, but he had fallen in love with Prince John. What Alexander had not realized was that Prince James was in love with him as well, for the prince had declared his feelings only in front of his father, the king. Alexander did not wish for Prince John to despise him if his love was unrequited; John’s feelings were the same.  

Arriving at the castle, guards ushered in the two men. They both stood in uncomfortable silence, until John spoke. 

“Welcome again to the palace.”

The tension eased slightly, but neither John nor Alexander wished to bare their feelings to the other. Alexander, mustering courage, demanded a question on his mind. 

“Why me? Why was I the one chosen by the prince, and not another?” 

John smiled gently at Alexander. “I chose you because you are witty and smart; you are sweet and honest; and you are kind, Alexander.”

Alexander turned towards John and kissed him. 

 

They lived happily ever after. 

THE END


	2. Fins and Needles

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Casting:  
> The Little Mermaid: Alexander Hamilton  
> The Prince: John Laurens  
> The Sea-King: George Washington  
> The Mermaid Sisters: Marquis de Lafayette ; Hercules Mulligan ; Angelica Schuyler ; Eliza Schuyler  
> The Sea-Witch: Peggy Schuyler

Once upon a time, the waters of all the oceans glimmered as blue as the sky, and these waters were so deep that no man nor creature could swim to the bottom; and the pillars of all the buildings in the world, all upright and joined together at each end, would only graze the surface of what dwelled in the deepest parts of the ocean. Beyond these steeples would dwell the giant whales and fish bigger than any mortal has caught; deeper still one would find the sea-monsters of your deepest nightmares, the ones in the stories told by nannies to keep children away from the water; and in the deepest part of the ocean, where the water ends and the sand begins, dwelled the kingdom of the Sea-King. 

One must not imagine that the deepest parts of the ocean contain only sand, for many things live here: beautiful flowers, adorned with vibrant colours that mortals will never gaze upon in their lifetime; trees with full green leaves, and stems so pliant that the water causes them to sway as if they had life; the stunning fish, gliding between these trees like the birds on the mortal lands; and above all, the subjects of the Sea-King. 

These people are not like you and I in their appearance; they have the head and torso of a mortal, but below their waist, their skin merges into a fish-tail of great length and splendor. Their fingers are webbed; and their mortal torso is covered in scales and fins. Despite their foreign appearance, these creatures are magnificent to the mortal eye; however, many a captain has lost their ship and their life to these creatures’ enchanted voices. 

The Sea-King was respected and loved by his people, and he in return treated them all with dignity. There were few of a rank as high as the Sea-King; and he was proud of this, for he wore twelve oysters on his tail, whereas others of high rank were only permitted to wear six. Few were unaware of the Sea-King’s majesty; however, only his close advisors were permitted to address him by his given name, George Washington. 

Of all the sea-people, the most splendid of them all were the five children of the Sea-King: three Sea-Princes and two Sea-Princesses. The eldest of these, Angelica, was an intelligent, witty Sea-Princess, who would one day become and excellent Sea-Queen. The second and third children, Hercules and Lafayette, were amusing, playful Sea-Princes who loved practical jokes. Eliza, the fourth child, was a sweet, good-natured Sea-Princess who loved her family and her people with her entire heart. The fifth child of the Sea-King, the youngest Sea-Prince, was named Alexander. The youngest Sea-Prince was curious, constantly exploring the kingdom of his father. 

The five children had grown up in the underwater palace of their father. The grand gothic windows, made of amber, were constantly open; and the fish swam in and out of the palace, as carefree as fish could possibly be, allowing the children to touch them and feed them with their hands. The walls were made of coral; and the roof was made of shells, opening and closing as the water flowed over them. In the center of each of these shells was a giant pearl, and each of these pearls were fit for the diadem of a queen. Outside the palace, the flowers that grew were vibrant reds and beautiful oranges, and the fruit that grew on the trees glittered like gold. 

Each of the siblings were granted a piece of the garden to decorate as they wished. While the four elder siblings decorated their gardens with flowers of the colours they loved, Alexander would constantly bring artifacts that he had discovered from shipwrecks and add them to his garden collection. 

Alexander was a strange child, always fascinated by the world above the sea. He wished for nothing more than to visit this mysterious world. He would constantly ask his father of stories about the people who lived above the water, always wishing to know about the strange manners and customs of their lands. 

“Father,” he would always ask, “Father, what is the world like above the sea?” 

“Alexander,” the Sea-King would reply, “there are people there, but not people like you and I. They do not swim in the air; they walk around on legs, which are not like our tails, but two long limbs attached to the waist.”

“They must look so strange, father.”

“They are strange to us, Alexander, but only in the way that we are strange to them.”

“Do they live forever?” Alexander asked once. 

“Not on the land, Alexander. After near a hundred years, their bodies perish; but they possess immortal souls that live for eternity.”

As a young Sea-Prince, Alexander always wished that he could swim to the surface of the sea and behold the world of the people who lived above the water. When Alexander was small, he was told that when he turned fifteen, he would be permitted to travel up to this world for himself and view everything that he had asked about. Alexander had anxiously awaited this moment since his childhood. For many nights, he would lean against the open window 

The year that Angelica turned fifteen, she promised to return and tell her four siblings all that she had seen. As each sibling was a year younger than the one before, Alexander would have to wait five years for his chance to rise to the surface of the sea.

The day that Angelica left, Alexander sat waiting for her to return with more marvelous stories about the world above the sea. As the day ended and she returned, Alexander flocked to her side, quickly followed by his other siblings. 

“Tell us, Angelica. Tell us stories of what you have seen in the world above,” Alexander exclaimed. 

“There was so much to see, I cannot possibly recount all of to you, dearest siblings,” Angelica spoke to Alexander, as well as Hercules, Lafayette and Alexander. “However, the most beautiful thing of all in their mortal lands is to lie in the beautiful moonlight on a sandbank near the shore, where the quiet waves crash gently over your head; and to watch the town, where the lights in their houses, shining from the windows and from the long streets, twinkle from afar like a thousand stars. I could hear the beautiful music playing in the town; the sounds of the carriages rolling over the long cobblestone roads, and the church bells ringing.”

For a year, Alexander would think of this; he would long to swim up to the surface of the water, and lie on the sand in the moonlight; he longed to see the lights twinkling like stars; and he longed to hear the carriages and the church bells. 

As Hercules turned fifteen, he was permitted to visit the surface and behold the world of men. As he returned, he depicted all that he had seen to his younger siblings. 

“The sky gleamed golden, and the clouds flew above in beautiful shades of violet and rose. The swans soared aloft my head, a long white veil across the water, which shined and reflected the brilliant panorama of colour around me. As the sun dipped past the horizon, the colours faded from the sky until the stars twinkled gently overhead.”

Year after year, Alexander would hear the fabulous descriptions of the mortal world, as he attempted to create images of what the world - and the people - looked like. 

“I swam up one of the rivers flowing from the sea; and I saw beautiful, rolling green hills on the banks of the river, covered with tall, strong trees. Palaces and castles unlike ours peeped out from between the tall trees; the birds, they sang; and the rays of the sun reflected the scenery onto the water, yet also burned my face. I saw a whole troop of the human children splashing around in the shallow water, playing with the small fish that swan around their ankles,” Lafayette stated after he had returned from his visit to the human world. 

Eliza had decided to be more passive when she swam up to the humans. “Their world is beautiful from afar,” she confessed, “but I did not approach them as close as any of you. The sky above looked like a bell of glass; and the ships in the distance appeared like sea-gulls. The dolphins leapt around me, and the whales spouted water around me, they appeared to be fountains.”

Five years from when Angelica had first surfaced from the water to behold the human lands, Alexander turned fifteen. He was then brought before his father and his siblings. 

“Alexander, today you are fifteen years of age,” the Sea-King announced. “You shall be adorned like your siblings to show your high rank.”

Then a wreath of white lilies was placed around Alexander’s head, and in the center of each of the petals of these flowers was half a pearl. The Sea-King then ordered for six oysters to attach themselves to Alexander’s tail. 

“Father, they hurt!” Alexander exclaimed. 

“Pride must suffer pain, my Alexander,” the Sea-King replied. 

As his birthday occurred in the dead of winter, he could see what the others had not. When he rose to the surface of the water, he saw the icebergs, like pearls, but larger and loftier than any of the churches built by men. He had seated himself upon one of the icebergs, and he remarked that they glittered like diamonds as the chilly wind blew through his hair. Alexander felt the greatest surge of happiness, sitting on that iceberg, finally with the chance to see with his own eyes what he had always longed to behold. 

Alexander watched the ships pass through the day, noting that they would always stay clear of the icebergs, as if they were afraid. Towards the evening, as the sun began to set, the clouds above Alexander’s head had begun to rumble, and the rain began to pour slowly from the darkening sky. The rain was strange for Alexander; he did not understand how tiny droplets of water could fall from the sky, which was full of clouds. As the rain began to pour, lightning flashed across the sky and thunder boomed. Alexander became scared; he had never heard tales of thunderstorms before; he did not even know that this was a thunderstorm. He dove back down to his father;s kingdom and told his siblings what he had seen, which both horrified them and excited them. 

As the siblings grew up, they were permitted to visit the surface more and more; and while their first few visits excited them, after awhile, they became indifferent to the land above their father’s kingdom. They believed that their father’s undersea kingdom was more beautiful and splendid than the people above. 

“Oh, but they look so silly on their two legs, walking around like that!” Angelica would say. “We, with our tails, are much more graceful.”

“They can't even breathe underwater!” Eliza would exclaim. Their father intervened after he saw Hercules and Lafayette glancing mischievously at each other. 

“You are not allowed to go up and drag them underwater!” He would tell his elder sons sternly. 

Only Alexander did not tire of visiting the human kingdoms. He believed them to be beautiful, and the people to be unique; for they had created such incredible devices to be of use in their land; he believed the humans to be quite clever. Their boats were lovely creations that enabled them to travel farther than they could walk, and he loved them the most. The boats fascinated Alexander to no end, and he would often surface just to see the boats pass, dock in the harbors close to the large towns, and leave with people aboard them. 

As Alexander prepared to dive back down to the kingdom of his father, he remarked a rather large ship nearing the cove. The white sails billowed in the darkening sky; and the voices from the boat echoed across the cove, shouts of happiness and of joy. Alexander, intrigued by this large vessel, swam closer. 

As Alexander swam closer, he saw that the lanterns inside of the ship were beginning to light, and he peered inside the glass windows of the hull to watch the humans. The sky, with the sun still setting, reflected gold and rose onto the lovely ship, and the air was fresh, and the sea was calm. 

As Alexander peered into the windows of the cabins, he saw the many people aboard the boat, all closer than he had ever seen before; all engaged in festivities aboard the deck of the large ship. In the center of it all, stood a young prince; the celebration happened to be for his birthday, and Alexander believed this young prince to be the most intriguing of them all. His brown curls hug to his shoulders, framing his face with his deep brown eyes. As the prince exited the cabin onto the deck, colours shot into the air, exploding in every direction. Alexander was scared, for he had never seen fireworks before; but he was also immensely intrigued, for the light in the sky appeared to be so far off, and so beautiful. 

It became very late; yet Alexander could not take his eyes off the young prince. A storm began to brew on the horizon, and waves blew through the cove, rocking the boat; causing amusement for Alexander, but not for the sailors. The waves rose mountains high; and the ship creaked and groaned, and Alexander realized that each person aboard the vessel was in danger. One wave, especially violent, washed over the ship and swept many passengers out to sea- including the young prince. Alexander could not see around him, as it was so dark; but one flash of lightning revealed the entire scene. Diving around the planks and beams floating in the water, Alexander dove towards the prince. 

Wrapping his webbed hands around the prince’s arm, he dragged him upwards to the surface of the water. As Alexander broke the surface, dragging the prince with him, he headed towards the shore of the cove. He deposited the prince on the shore, who lay there, barely breathing. As the prince regained consciousness, he blinked his eyes and saw Alexander beside him. The prince blinked his eyes again, and Alexander was gone, swimming back towards the kingdom of his father. 

Alexander returned to the kingdom of his father and refused to talk about what he had seen in the lands of the humans. His siblings saw his misery and, out of compassion, begged Alexander to speak of what he had seen. Eventually he confessed his memories to his siblings. 

“In the lands of the mortals, I saw the most wondrous ship, with billowing sails attached to tall masts. Aboard this ship there was a prince, and they celebrated him. The storm blew through the cove and he nearly drowned, but I brought him to shore.”

Despite their promise to keep a secret, the story travelled throughout the groups of Sea-People. It so happened that a friend of Angelica knew of this prince, and of where his palace stood in the mortal lands. As Angelica learned of this, she shared this with her siblings and confronted Alexander. 

“Come, brother,” Angelica told Alexander. “We have something to show you.”

The Sea-Prince joined arms with his siblings and they swam up to the palace of the prince. Alexander approached the walls of the palace, where he could behold his prince, deep in conversation with what appeared to be the king. 

“Father, I saw someone there!” The prince exclaimed to the king. 

“Nonsense, John,” the king replied. “The waves likely washed you to shore. There could not have been another there; someone could not have dragged you to shore, against a current that strong. They would not have been human.”

“Father, I swear!” The prince - John - retorted. “I know what I saw. There was a man there with me, for just a moment; and then I blinked and he was gone.”

The king sighed. 

“Father, let me search for this man,” John pleaded. 

The king sighed a second time. 

“Very well, John. You may search for this man.”

Alexander, thrilled with his new discoveries, swam down with his siblings to their father’s kingdom, and Alexander hurried to his father. 

“Father! There is a human looking for me!” He exclaimed to his father. 

“Alexander, slow down,” the Sea-King exclaimed. 

“Please let me go to the surface! A human that I saved in the storm yesterday, he is looking for me! Please allow me to go to him!” Alexander pleaded. 

“Alexander … “ the Sea-King said slowly, “we cannot go to the surface. We have tails, and we cannot survive outside of water. You cannot go to this human, for it will only end in despair. Forget this human; stay under the sea.”

Alexander, upset, sook consolation from his siblings- but they had the same advice. 

“Alexander, we cannot reveal our existence,” Angelica told him. “They will hunt us down, for to them, we are creatures unlike them.”

However, Alexander had made up his mind. 

“I wish to go up to the surface and see my prince. If I cannot go with a tail, I will go with legs.”

“How will you accomplish that, Alexander?” Eliza asked her brother. 

“I will visit the Sea-Witch. She will give me legs.”

“Alexander, no!” Lafayette exclaimed. “You cannot go to the Sea-Witch. She will hurt you!” 

“You cannot make my decisions for me,” Alexander declared, and swam away from his siblings. 

Alexander left the palace and swam to the cave where the Sea-Witch resided. As he approached the entrance, he suddenly became filled with fear. He was then struck with a sudden gust of courage, and he then decided that he wanted to visit his prince. This was the only way to obtain legs so that he could do that, and he swam into the cave. 

The cave was dark and gloomy; and Alexander could barely see what was ahead of him, relying only on the light from the outside of the cave to guide him. He was suddenly plunged into utter darkness, the water cold around him. He then heard a voice; an eerie voice, one that shook him to his bones. 

“Oh, my dear sweet child,” it whispered to him. The cave suddenly lit up in front of his eyes, and Alexander came face to face with the Sea-Witch. 

She was not the Sea-Witch he had heard legends of; she was a creature like him, with a human torso and a long fish tail. However, her scales were a pasty white, like all colour and moisture had been drained out of them; like they were dead. Her hair, filled with curls, floated around her head. Alexander had to admit that she was beautiful, for just a moment; but then she spoke again, and those thoughts vanished from his mind. 

“Why has a young Sea-Prince like yourself come to visit me, the old Sea-Witch?” she crooned, smiling to reveal her sharp, pointed teeth. 

“I … I … I wish to visit the humans,” the scared Alexander sputtered. 

“Oh, but darling, can you not do that already?” The Sea-Witch asked, but not in a kind way; in an accusing way, a tone of voice where she already knew his answer and was mocking him for it. 

“I … I can,” Alexander muttered again, “but I wish to walk among the humans as one of them.”

“Ah,” exhaled the Sea-Witch, straightening her back. “You wish for a pair of legs.”

“Yes,” Alexander affirmed. “Can you give them to me.”

“Can I? Well of course, my dearest Sea-Prince. It’s what I live for, to help unfortunate merfolk like yourself,” she crooned. “I will admit, in the past, I have done deplorable things. They named me rightfully in calling me the Sea-Witch. However, you will find that I am attempting to heal my wounded soul, and I desire to help others. You are fortunate that I know a bit of magic, a rare talent that few now possess. I can use it to help a poor unfortunate soul like yourself.”

The Sea-Witch paused. “I know what you think, dearest Alexander,” she whispered. “I am the Sea-Witch, so how can I truly be good? Oh, please, darling; call me Peggy instead. Yes, I can help you; I can give you legs, so you can walk among the humans. However, this gift comes with a price.”

“I am sure that I can give you gold; or pearls; whatever you desire,” Alexander told the Sea-Witch. 

“Oh, no, not that type of price, darling,” the Sea-Witch responded. “My fee is … your voice.”

“My voice!” Alexander exclaimed. “What shall I do without my voice?” 

“Your prince shall have to rely on his memory of your appearance to recognize you,” she smiled. “I shall take your voice; and when you walk, you shall be pained; for each time you take a step, it shall feel like you step onto very sharp needles.”

Alexander contemplated this. He did not desire to give up his voice; but more than his voice, he desired to meet his prince, so he agreed.

“When you drink the draught that I give you, your tail shall be transformed into legs, so that you may walk among the humans,” the Sea-Witch stated. “This magic shall never be broken of its own will; you will only break this magic by having your prince kiss you, in which case you will receive your tongue and be able to speak to him, and you will receive the immortal soul of a human; or if your prince marries another, in which case you will die; you will fade into the sea-foam.”

Alexander took the potion in his hand, aware of the consequences. The Sea-Witch then sent Alexander on his way. As he swam up to the surface, he passed the palace of his father, where he could hear music drifting through the water to his ears. She rose to the surface, and the sky was dark above the world, and the stars and the moon shone, granting Alexander light. 

Alexander downed the draught of the witch; and it so felt like there was a large sword that cleaved his tail into two; and the pain caused him to swoon, and he lay on the rocks motionless in the light. When he awoke, the sun shone overhead, and he saw his prince. John stood near the shore, wading in the water towards Alexander. His curly hair bounced as he took each step, and it mesmerised Alexander. 

“Who are you?” Inquired Prince John. “What is your name? Where do you come from?” 

While Alexander wished deeply to respond to these questions, he was mute and could not speak, nor could he read or write, so he could not answer what Prince John had asked. He shook his head, not knowing how else to communicate. 

“Can you not speak?” John asked Alexander, who then shook his head again. 

“Very well. Come back with me to the palace,” the prince offered, and Alexander graciously followed him. 

Every step Alexander took felt like he was stepping on needles, and the pain pierced his feet and legs, but he bore the pain, for he was glad to have the chance to walk on the land with the humans and with his prince. He stepped so lightly that the prince and all who saw Alexander wondered of his graceful movements. 

Alexander arrived at the palace, which was so familiar yet so different as he stood inside it as opposed to outside of it, looking in. The Prince organized a performance for Alexander and his guests, and the servants sang for the assembly of people. One sang more beautiful than any other, and when she finished the prince applauded her cheerfully. This caused great pain to Alexander, for he knew how much sweeter he and his siblings could sing, and he thought, 

_ Oh if he could only know that! I have given away my voice forever, to be with him. _

The servants then danced for the king and the prince; and Alexander, with his new legs, stood and danced with them. His movements were unmatched by all; and the prince was mesmerised as he watched Alexander dance. 

The prince wished for Alexander to live a life of luxury; therefore, he was given a large chamber and the finest clothes in the palace, second to only the royalty. He ate the most delicious food and was treated with utmost respect. 

Alexander passed most of his time with the prince. They would ride the horses through the sweet-scented woods, where the green leaves touched their shoulders, and beautiful birds sang in the tops of the tall trees. They climbed the mountains of the kingdom, and while Alexander’s feet bled, he only laughed, and they would climb until the clouds hung just above their heads. 

During the night, when the castle slept, Alexander would go to the edge of the water, and sit on the marble steps of the palace, for it soothed his feet to place them in the cool water. Every time he did this, he would remind himself of the world below the sea, and his family. 

One night, Alexander’s siblings rose to the surface of the water. As Alexander saw, them he beckoned them to come closer. Once they recognized their youngest brother, they swam near the shore. 

“Oh, my dear Alexander,” Angelica told him. “You have grieved us. The kingdom is not the same without you. We all miss you.”

“Father is sad,” Eliza spoke. “He wishes for you to return. Alas! You have sacrificed your tail for the legs of the humans, and you cannot return with us.”

After that night, they returned to the palace when they could; and they would talk of their kingdom, of how it had changed since Alexander had left; and while he missed his family, he did not regret his decision to trade his tail for legs.

_ I am with my prince, _ he thought.  _ I am with my prince, and that is what is important. _

Once, Alexander saw his father, the Sea-King, in the distance, near where the sun dipped and touched the horizon. The crown sat atop his head, and he watched his son somberly from afar. Alexander would beckon to him, but never would he approach the palace as near as his children. 

As the days passed, Alexander loved Prince John more and more fondly. John loved Alexander, but only as he loved his father, of his brothers; it never crossed his mind to marry Alexander. Yet, Alexander needed to marry the prince to obtain an immortal human soul, and on the day that the prince married another, Alexander would fade into sea-foam and cease to exist. 

_ Do you love me the most? _ Alexander’s eyes would speak silently to the prince. 

“You are dear to me, for you have the best heart, and you are devoted to me; you are like a young man I once saw, once that I will never meet again. I was in a ship that was wrecked, and the waves tossed me into the raging sea; but this young man dragged me from the depths of the water to shore; he saved me. This young man holds my heart, and while you have nearly caused me to forget him, he will always linger with me and my soul, for he saved me.”

He does not know that it was I who saved his life, Alexander thought. If only he knew. 

Some time passed, and eventually Prince John came to Alexander with an announcement. 

“I must travel to another land to meet a foreign prince that my parents wish me to marry. I am not obligated to marry him, only to meet him. I know I cannot love him, for my heart belongs to the man who saved me; the man which you resemble.”

That night, aboard the boat towards the new kingdom, the stars shone above the heads of all who were asleep, except the man at the helm, and Alexander. He stared down at the clear, calm water, and he thought of his family back in his father’s kingdom. He thought that he could see his father’s castle deep beneath the waves; and his siblings laughing among the tall trees. Alexander heard a splash to his side and turned to see his father. 

“Alexander.” He spoke calmly and softly, yet with a stern tone. “Alexander, I do not think you realize the true consequence of your actions. We miss you, and we fear for you constantly. Why did you go to the Sea-Witch? She is bitter over the past, and while she has magic, she resents me. Oh, if I could go back and change the past! I would hope that she could forgive me for ignoring her all those years, Well, I cannot go back and change the past; but Alexander, I have come to warn you. You made a decision that will haunt us all for the rest of our lives. Be careful.”

As they pulled into the harbor of the new kingdom, the church bells rang, and the trumpets sounded from the high towers. The soldiers lined up, with flying colours and glittering bayonets, and each day was a festival. 

However, the prince had not yet appeared. The people said that he was returning from a long voyage, and that Prince John had arrived earlier than they were expecting. At last he came, and Alexander, who had been quite anxious to behold this foreign prince, cast his eyes upon the nobility. He was obliged to acknowledge that the foreign prince was lovely to behold; and Prince John was just as easily smitten. 

“It was you,” cried Prince John, “who saved my life in the shipwreck. Oh, I am too happy,” he said to Alexander, “my fondest hopes are all fulfilled. You will rejoice at my happiness; for your devotion to me is great and sincere.”

Alexander bowed to Prince John and his husband-to-be, and felt his heart shatter into a million pieces, for their wedding would bring his death. As the wedding approached, Alexander isolated himself; he sat in his room, gazing out over the sea, wishing to see his family one last time before he died. 

The night before the wedding, Alexander sat alone in his bedroom, when he saw a shape move in the water of the sea. He moved to his open window, and there was Angelica, holding a dagger. 

“Alexander, we know that your prince is about to be married,” Angelica told him. “Father has given me this knife; plunge it into the heart of the prince, and when the blood touches your hands, your feet will be transformed into a tail again; and you can come live with us in peace.”

So Alexander took the knife and snuck into the bedroom where Prince John slept. He beheld the prince’s face, and his breath shaking, he held the knife above John’s heart. Seeing the beginning of the sunrise, he took one more look at the prince, and he flung the knife out of the window into the sea. It sunk quickly. Gazing at the sunrise, Alexander stood at the window and jumped. 

As the cool water hit his body, he felt as if he was being lifted. He looked around and beheld that he was flying above the palace. As he reached the clouds, he heard singing so melodious no other sound would ever compare. 

“Where am I?” He spoke in a voice, so similar to the ones he had heard. 

“Among the children of the air,” another voice answered. “Here you may watch the world, observe it, and live among us. After three hundred years, if you have spread joy to the world, you may obtain a human soul and live among them.”

So, Alexander lived as a son of the air for three hundred years, and when he was granted a human soul, he lived a long and glorious life as a human, never forgetting his prince, who had lived happily ever after. 

THE END


	3. Tale as Old as Time

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Beauty: James Madison  
> The Beast: Thomas Jefferson  
> Beauty’s Sisters: Alexander Hamilton ; Marquis de Lafayette ; Hercules Mulligan  
> Beauty’s Brothers: Aaron Burr ; John Adams

Once upon a time, there was a very rich merchant who had six sons. Their mother had died many years ago, but they lived very happy lives in each others’ company. Their father, being a sensible man, spared no money on the education of his six children; so they were raised with the finest tutors in all the land, learning science, arithmetic and Latin before they came of age.

The two eldest of the six were named Aaron and John. The two brothers were inseparable; they loved each other, their father and their younger brothers. Their bravery was unrivaled throughout their town, and they were beloved for their chivalry and their kindness to others. Their loyalty was fierce; they would do anything to protect those they loved from harm.

The next three children were named Alexander, Hercules and Gilbert. The three loved their lives of luxury; so they reveled in the fine clothes, the delicate food, the servants doting on them hand and foot. Their closeness was only out of necessity, for they believed the poorer to be lesser, and they isolated anyone who believed anything aside from their opinions.

The youngest brother of the six was named James. While his older brothers were extremely handsome, they were all outshone by James. When he was small, everyone admired him for his looks, and for his immense brains, for he was a very intelligent child. While his brothers would go out and frolic about the town, at parties, socializing with others of high rank, James spend many of his days reading his books, immersed in his studies.

Their father had tried many times to have his sons betrothed to the ladies of the town. Aaron and John had obliged their father’s wishes; by young ages they had married Theodosia Prevost and Abigail Smith. Their loyalty to their wives was immense, and they encouraged their younger brothers to heed their father and be married. However, while the four brothers had many ladies doting over them, they did not marry. Alexander, Hercules and Gilbert only wished to marry a woman of extremely high status, the daughter of a duke or a noblewoman.

James had many ladies wishing to marry him. He had frequent dowry offers from men wishing their daughters to marry him, more so than any of his brothers. However, he did not wish to be married. He wished instead to concentrate on his studies. He believed that he was very young to marry, and wished to live with his family for several years longer.

They lived in luxury for much of their lives, but one year, one shipment went awry and the results were devastating upon the family.

“My children,” their father told them, one day in late June, “my shipments destined to foreign lands were caught in a terrible storm overseas. The ships- they sank, lost at sea forever. We cannot afford to continue living our lives in such luxury, after what we have lost. I am sorry.”

So, the family moved out of their grand mansion, and out of the town, and they lived in the countryside. Alexander, Hercules, Gilbert, James and their father lived in one small, crowded house, where the living quarters were tight and the brothers were forced to share two rooms. They were grateful that Aaron and John had already been married, for they could live in the estates into which they had married. The rich people with whom they had once socialized now mocked them, and they were forced to live simple lives. Alexander, Hercules and Gilbert suffered at the hands of this unforeseen poverty. Their fancy clothing was replaced by the clothing of commoners, and they no longer had the many servants waiting on them hand and foot. They detested their new house, and they detested the people with whom they were forced to communicate because of this change in their lives.

However, the one thing that they hated the most was how their younger brother was able to adapt to their poverty. James was able to live comfortably with his studies in their small house, and he seemed unbothered by the fact that he no longer wore the finest clothes and had to socialize with the poorer citizens of their town. Alexander, Hercules and Gilbert hated this, for they believed that James was lesser than they were for living happily in their circumstances. The three were also secretly, and immensely, jealous of James for being able to assimilate comfortably into his new life, where the brothers suffered. 

The family worked for their lives, having to labour in the fields to produce enough money to eat and to keep their house. The other townspeople were glad to see the family’s pride humbled, and while they did not pity James’ siblings, they wished that he would not have to suffer in this poverty he had been forced into. Many fathers wished their daughters to be betrothed to James, despite the fact that his monetary worth was much lower than many others in the town. However, James refused all of these offers, instead wishing to live with his father and his siblings, keeping them company in their poverty. He could not bear the thought of abandoning his family in their small house for another life of luxury.

Each day, James would rise at four in the morning to clean the house and prepare the meals for his family. He would work in the fields all day, tilling and plowing and ensuring that the crops grew. At first the work was difficult, for he was not used to life as a servant, but after time he became accustomed to the work. He worked harder than his father, and harder than his brothers, to ensure their survival.

His brothers would rise at ten in the morning and would saunter about all day, lamenting their old lives of luxury while they struggled to accomplish the simplest of tasks. 

“Alas, look at James,” Gilbert said. “Such a mean-spirited boy is he, to be content in this miserable existence.”

Their father was quite of a different opinion, for he knew that James outshone his brothers in all respects; his appearance was far more handsome, and his dedication and perseverance could be matched by none. He respected his son for his humility, for not only did James’ brothers leave him all the work, they spared no moment to insult him. 

The family lived for nearly a year in this condition. One bleak day, their father received a letter that a ship, on which he possessed effects, had arrived safely at its destination. They were to receive money from this shipment in a timely manner. Their father was required to travel to acquire this money, but he promised to return with gifts for his sons. 

The family rejoiced at this exciting revelation, for they now had money to spend on small luxuries. The elder brothers wished desperately to return to the center of town, for they were weary of a working life. They asked their father for new clothing, new shoes, and expensive trinkets to appear as though they were rich again. Their father asked James what he desired, but James wished for nothing special to be bought with the money. 

“Father,” James explained, “if you are to return with a gift for me, return with a single white rose. It is all that I desire. There are none that grow where we live, and they are a rarity for us. All I desire is a single white rose.”

So, their father agreed to all of these demands, and he left. James’ brothers mocked his choice of a gift, for they did not understand why he could simply desire only a single white rose when he had the choice of expensive items. 

Their father traveled with the hope of bringing items back to his sons so they could have a small sliver of happiness in their lives. However, as he arrived to pick up the money, there was a dispute over the delivered materials. The end result did not end well for their father, and he returned on his way just as poor as before. He knew that he would return to the house with no fine clothing and trinkets for his elder sons. However, he sincerely wished to not disappoint James, his youngest and most beloved son. 

Within thirty miles of his house, he was anticipating seeing his children again, although the dread of having nothing to present to them was slowly gnawing at him. He passed an estate, and he immediately remarked that the front garden of the estate was filled with beautiful rosebushes. The roses bloomed beautiful reds and pinks, and in the center bloomed a beautiful bush of white roses.

It was raining and snowing terribly, and the merchant was both cold and nearly starving; so he made the decision to knock on the door and ask for some food and shelter for the night. Approaching the estate door, it loomed in front of him, a large, somber building. He rapped on the door three times, and it echoed through the distance. He waited several minutes before knocking on the door again. There was no response, so he pushed gently on the door, and it swung open, creaking. He left his horse waiting outside the door, certain that it would not ride away without him. 

The estate seemed deserted, and the silence was eerie as the merchant took several steps, relieved to be out of the rain and the cold. A fire burned at the end of the hallway, and the merchant sat in front of it, drying himself and warming himself from the cold. A long table set with food and wine sat nearby, and he eyed it hungrily. 

_ I shall wait until some servants arrive, _ he thought.  _ Surely there are some, and I do not believe they will mind if I ask them for food.  _

He waited until nearly eleven, but no servants arrived. He could not contain his hunger anymore, so he went over to the table and began to eat the food quickly, drinking several glasses of wine. He became more confident in his actions, and more bold; so he searched through some rooms until he found one with a nice large bed, and he curled up and went to sleep for the night. 

The merchant woke to the sunlight streaming through the curtains over the large window. The merchant stumbled his way back to the entry hall, where he found the large table again, filled with fresh food for breakfast. Stuffing his face, he prepared to leave the eerie estate and return to his family. Once again, the beautiful rose bushes caught his eye, and he remembered his promise to James. Glancing around, he stooped before the rose bush filled with beautiful white roses in bloom, and snipped one off the bush. 

He heard a great frightful noise behind him, and he turned in terror, only to be faced by a giant Beast. He was unlike any creature the merchant had ever seen; and he towered above the merchant, so that he could only face the buttons on the Beast’s magenta velvet coat. 

“Who are you to disturb my estate?” The Beast boomed. The merchant had no answer, and cowered before the Beast. 

“I give you food, I give you shelter from the rain and the cold! This is how you repay me? By stealing one of my precious roses!” The Beast roared, scaring the merchant further. 

“Please … I am very sorry. I only hoped to return with a rose for my youngest son, who has asked for a gift. I had no mind to return without a rose for James. My lord, I apologize greatly for the trouble I have caused you.”

“I have no mind for your apologies. Flattering speech is not in your favour; I am not moved by compliments. However, I will pardon you for the fact that you have sons. Let one of them return to my estate willingly, to pay for the trouble you have caused me. Swear that if none of your sons will take your place, you will return in three months to live here for the rest of your life.” The Beast regarded the merchant with a dark stare, at which the merchant cowered. 

The merchant had no mind to sacrifice any of his sons to the Beast and this gloomy estate. 

“Please, lord; take back the rose, if only so that I may live my life with my family around me!” He pleaded. 

“The damage has been done,” the Beast announced. “Now you must pay the consequence. You or one of your sons must return by the time three months have ended, or I will seek you out and kill you all myself with the thorns of a rosebush! I will pierce your eyes with the thorns, and let you bleed to death for the pain you have caused me, if you or one of your sons do not return in three months to my estate.”

Out of fear, the merchant obliged to this command, if only so that he may see his children again before he was locked away in the dreadful estate. 

“Now, you shall not leave empty-handed! There is a chest that you will find in the front foyer; fill it with all the gold and jewels you desire, to present to your sons alongside the rose that you have stolen from my garden,” commanded the Beast. He then turned and vanished into the misty morning fog. 

_ Oh, good! _ The merchant thought.  _ I can bring something home to my other children, and preserve my dignity.  _

The merchant filled the chest with all the jewels and gold he could find in the estate; and when he could fit no more, and he could barely carry the large chest, he tied it to his horse; and he headed away from the estate, eager to see his children again. 

As he arrived, he could view the waiting faces of his children eagerly anticipating his gifts and his return. Among his younger sons he also viewed Aaron and James, eager to welcome their father home from his long journey. 

However, instead of greeting their father with embraces, they greeted him with scorn. 

“Father, where are the clothing we asked for?” Gilbert inquired. 

“Have you not returned with gifts?” Alexander cried, upset and disgusted. 

“All you have upon you is a small chest and a rose in the pocket of your jacket!” Hercules exclaimed. “You have only brought gifts for James!” 

The merchant burst into tears, and held out the rose for James. 

“Alas, my son! Please accept this rose that I offer you, for in the procuring I have suffered great pains!” 

So James took the rose, and admired it, as their father explained his plight. 

“I, or one of you - but I would object to that - must return to the estate of the Beast to live until their death with only his company. I shall go, knowing that I had the chance to give you the chest - which you have completely overlooked, but is in fact, filled with gold - and that I could tell you goodbye.”

“Father, we shall go and fight the Beast!” Aaron declared. “We will go and slay this foul creature for your freedom!”

“Aaron, no,” the merchant told his eldest son. “Do not go and slaughter the Beast. I will go willingly to his estate and live there. There is no need for violence.”

“Father, no,” said James calmly. “I am at fault for this disaster. I asked for the rose- you simply brought one home for me. I shall go in your place.”

“James, no. I will not have you pay for a mistake that I made,” the merchant protested. 

“Father, you cannot stop me. If you leave yourself, I will follow you to the estate and beg the Beast to keep me instead of you. Let me go.”

As the merchant was unable to persuade James to stay behind, James and his father spent the three months preparing for their voyage back to the estate. As the three months drew near, they mounted their horses and rode away from their house. Alexander, Hercules and Gilbert rubbed onions on their eyes to feign crying, knowing and secretly rejoicing the fact that they would never see their brother James again. Aaron and John were both concerned for the well-being of their family, but they kept to themselves, for they would have only been shushed by their brother. They all watched as James and their father rode into the distance, confronting whatever lay ahead. 

Their horses took a direct road to the estate, and by the evening, the large building, surrounded by its splendorous gardens, could be viewed by James and his father on horseback. Riding through the front gate of the estate, the two dismounted their horses, who trotted away happily. The merchant and his son then entered the great hall, where an enormous feast was waiting for them, lined up the tables. It contained much more food than either James or his father had seen in a very long time, and they eyed it hungrily. 

The merchant was full of his sorrow, and he did not desire to eat; but James sat him down and filled both of their plates, convincing his father to eat with him one last time. They ate their fill until they could eat no more, and they felt as if they would never need to eat again in their lives, the food was so rich and filling. 

_ The calm before the storm, _ James thought uneasily and warily.  _ He has a mind to fatten me up before he eats me. _

They heard a great, loud noise at the end of the hall; a growl that shook the merchant and his son to their cores, instilling fear in their hearts of what was to come. The merchant began to cry and held James tight, bidding him goodbye. The Beast then appeared to James; and though the form horrified him, he gathered all of his courage to confront the creature. 

“Did you come here of your own free will?” The Beast commanded to James.

“Yes, I did,” he responded, trying not to reveal his fear and remain falsely confident. 

The Beast then spoke again, in a softer, less thunderous voice. “You are a good man, and I am greatly obliged to you. Your father is an honest man, and he may part from this estate tomorrow morning, never to return again.”

“Farewell, Beast; and farewell, James,” the merchant said softly, and the Beast withdrew. “Alas, my son!” The merchant embraced James. “I am almost frightened to death for your safety! Let me stay, and please go back to your brothers, and our house!” 

“No, father,” said James in a resolute tone, “you shall leave tomorrow morning and go back to my brothers, and to our house. Leave me to the care and protection of this estate.”

They both went to bed, and neither of them slept through the night, as their minds were abuzz with worry and malcontentment, for the merchant worried for the safety of his son; and James attempted to enjoy what he believed to be his last hours. 

James eventually fell asleep, and a young man appeared in his dreams. This man was immensely handsome; for his dark curls fell around his head, and he was dressed in magnificent velvet clothing. His eyes were kind and warm, and his smile was bright. 

“James, you will be content in this estate,” the man told him. “This action of yours, sacrificing your life for the life of your father; it will not go unrewarded.”

James woke when the sun rose in the east, puzzled by his dream; but he spoke of it not to his father, who was already grieving the loss of his youngest son. His father bid adieu, and he left on horseback towards their house. 

After his father left, James sat in the great hall, and he stifled the tears that welled in his eyes; for he would not show it, but he was afraid. He sat there for a great long time; and he then decided to explore the estate, for he had nothing better to do with his time. 

The estate was a lovely place to wander around, for the architecture was beautiful to gaze upon; and the gardens were wonderfully colourful. James was extremely surprised to stumble upon a door that read on it in gilded lettering, “James’ Apartment”. 

The door creaked open, and James was amused to find himself in a dazzling suite; but what caught his attention was the harpsichord, and the large library found in the corner of the suite. James immediately took to the books on the shelves, and opening a particularly large volume, found a peculiar message. 

 

_ Welcome, James, banish fear, _

_ You are prince and master here. _

_ Speak your wishes, speak your will, _

_ Swift obedience meets them still. _

 

“Alas,” he spoke with a sigh, “there is nothing more I desire than to see my father again; perhaps one last time.”

As soon as the words left his mouth, the glass of the beautiful hanging mirror seemed to ripple in the light. It caught James’ eye, who gazed into the glass and gasped. He could see his father, returning to their house and embracing James’ brothers, who could not hide their glee from their faces; for they were filled with happiness over the fact that James was gone. 

After a minute, the image faded from the glass. James was satisfied with this discovery, but also unnerved; for the magic in this house was strong, and he had been raised to fear magic. He was confident that he was not a prisoner of this estate, and while he could not leave, he was free to frolic as he desired. 

James found a letter outside of his door. Opening it, he found a message scrawled in messy handwriting, no doubt written by the Beast. 

 

_ James, would you do me the honor of joining me for dinner? _

 

In the evening, James descended from his suite to find a lavish dinner awaiting him, and the Beast seated in the chair at the far end of the table. Music played gently from the background, from musicians unseen. 

“Sit, James,” the Beast commanded, in a nicer tone than before. “Indulge yourself in the food laid before you. While you are not permitted to leave the estate, you are permitted to roam in the estate and the garden, and live a life of luxury here. Simply tell me if my presence is troublesome to you, and I shall leave.”

James sat at the other end of the table, and he began to eat. 

“I do not find your presence troublesome,” James confessed. “However, I cannot lie; you are no sight for sore eyes. Your kindness overrules your appearance, I must admit.”

“This I know; I am nothing more than a stupid Beast. I am unworthy of any other name.”

“There are others who are less deserving of a name than you. I much prefer you to those whose good looks hide a heart of greed and of selfishness; those whose beauty hides corrupt, treacherous souls.”

“James, you hold more kindness than many people. If I had sense enough, I would make a fine compliment for you; but I am so dull, I can only say, that I am greatly obliged to you.”

James ate a hearty dinner, and he had nearly conquered his fear of the Beast, until the Beast asked, “James, will you marry me?” 

James stayed quiet for a long while before he answered, for he was afraid of upsetting and angering the Beast. Eventually he spoke quietly. 

“No, Beast.”

The Beast sighed, and he turned to leave. 

“Then goodnight, James.”

He only turned around to take one glance at James. 

“Alas,” said James after a great deal of silence, “a thousand pities, anything so good natured should be so ugly.”

 

James spend three months content in the estate of the Beast. During the day, James was free to do as he pleased, within the limits of the estate. Each evening, the Beast paid James a visit during dinner, and they would talk rationally, with good sense; and they would carry good conversation. There was but one thing that unsettled James; for each night, the Beast would ask James to marry him, and each day, James would decline. 

One day, he said to the Beast, “You make me very uneasy. I wish I could consent to marry you, but I am too sincere to make you believe that will ever happen; I shall always esteem you as a friend, endeavor to be satisfied with this."

"I must," said the Beast, "for, alas! I know too well my misfortune, but I love you with the tenderest affection. However, I should think myself happy, that you will stay here; promise me never to leave me."

James blushed at these words of affection, but an image lingered in his brain- his father, worried sick about his youngest son. 

“I could promise you to stay, but my father misses me dearly,” explained James, “and I desire to see him again. I shall fret to death over his well-being, and he over mine.”

“Therefore, you shall go and visit your father, for I would rather die myself than see you unhappy,” declared the Beast. “Leave tomorrow, but you must promise to return within a week of tomorrow, back to this estate.”

 

The next morning, James rose back to the house of his father. When he arrived, at noon, the door was opened by Aaron, and he cried in delight when he saw his youngest brother standing at the door. 

“Father, father! John; Alexander; Hercules; Gilbert! Come! James has returned from the estate of the Beast!” 

The merchant came running to the door, eager to see his youngest son again, and he soon found himself in James’ embrace. He was greeted by his other siblings; and while Aaron and John’s joy was genuine, James’ other brothers had to force themselves to smile, for they had hoped to never set sights on their youngest brother again. 

“Oh, my brothers! It brings me such joy to behold you again,” James announced, a smile on his face. “However, I cannot stay for long; I am only granted leave for one week, and then I must return to the estate.”

He told his brothers the tales of the estate; of the lavish life he was living, and his brothers immediately became jealous. James learned that his younger brothers had married women of the town in his absence; and while these women were beautiful of face, they were vile and cruel of heart. They cared only for themselves; and paid no attention to their husbands, who were just as cruel. 

Alexander and Gilbert had married beautiful women, so fair of face they made all the men of the village swoon. However, there was no ounce of kindness that could be found in their souls; and their heads were so full of themselves that they neglected all others, including their husbands. 

Hercules had married a woman of wit; her sharp tongue had gained a reputation that she would reject any man who asked for her hand in marriage, and she could not be tamed. Now that she was married, she thought it not below her to use her tongue and her wits to mistreat others, to plague and torment them; and Hercules was among her victims. 

Their jealousy of their brother increased as they saw him, adorned in the clothing of a prince, with gold and silver adornments on his coat and shoes; they wished to be him. As James spoke of his life in the palace, of the lavish food he was eating, and of the grand estate, where he was free to do as he pleased, the brothers began to concoct a scheme. 

“James has spoken of the grand estate where he spends his days; misfortune has fallen upon us, that James lives a life of luxury and we do not!” Gilbert whined. 

“He may only spend a week here, with us! He moans, as if he would much rather be here than bathe in a life of luxury!” Alexander groaned. 

“I pity him; if that is what he truly believes. What man would prefer poverty with his family than a life of luxury elsewhere?” Hercules cried. 

“Perhaps we can ruin his happiness, if he is willing to believe that we have changed,” suggested Alexander. 

“What do you imply, brother?” Gilbert questioned. 

“He is only permitted to stay a week, by leave of the horrendous Beast he lives with in that estate. Perhaps if we can convince him to overspend his stay, then perhaps that Beast will become so full of rage that he will eat James, and we will be rid of him once and for all!” Alexander suggested. 

“Brother, your plan is magnificent!” Hercules announced. “How will we convince him?” 

“You shall follow my lead.” Alexander gave his brothers a sly smile. 

 

The three brothers behaved affectionately to James; completing all of the chores he used to complete for them, showering him with admiring words, all while attempting to have him stay with them for longer than a week. 

“You are so brave, James, for you can stay in that estate with that dreadful Beast without fear!” Hercules attempted. 

“It is far easier to stay with him than with other people with foul hearts,” James replied. “His appearance may be ghastly, but his heart is kind and pure.”

Alexander, Hercules and Gilbert tried their hardest to convince their brother to stay for longer than a week. As the seventh day approached, they begged their brother to not return to the estate. 

“Oh, James! We will miss you so, if you return to that estate! Please, stay with us!” Gilbert crooned. 

“We love you, James! We are sorry for our actions long ago! Please, forgive us, and stay!” Alexander smiled falsely to James, who unfortunately believed that his brothers’ words were genuine. The week had been excellent at the house of his father; and he enjoyed the company of his family, a stark difference from the estate, where the Beast was his only company. 

“Oh, very well; I shall stay for one more week, and then I shall return to the castle.” James told his siblings. His brothers rejoiced at their success, and anticipated the day where they would not have to deal with James. 

That night, James went to sleep uneasily, for he worried about the Beast. His dreams unnerved him, and he frequently woke up while the moon was in the sky, for his dreams gave him immense fear. He eventually drifted back to sleep again, and his next dream scared him the most. 

He dreamed of the man who had graced his sleep when he first arrived at the estate. Three months ago, the man had looked content and happy; now he appeared to be tired, and expiring. He appeared in the back garden of the estate, where he was surrounded by the beautiful lilac bushes that gave a sweet fragrance. 

“James, why have you not yet returned to the estate?” the man asked. “Why have you deserted me?” 

James woke from his dream, tears streaming down his face. He stared into the mirror, wishing that it was the enchanted mirror that existed in his suite in the estate of the Beast. 

“Oh, why did I ever leave the estate!” James wailed. “I should have anticipated that my siblings would fake their love so that I would stay, and upset the Beast! Oh, I much prefer his company, with his lovely, kind heart, than those with blackened souls who will never see the light. I should be happier with him than my brothers are with their wives. Oh, how I have mistreated him, after what he has done for me! It is true, I do not love him with my heart; but with my mind, I care deeply for the Beast. I shall return, as to not make him miserable; for if I should ever appear ungrateful, I shall never forgive myself.”

James dressed himself in his finest suit, and he rode to the estate without bidding goodbye to his brothers; however, he left a note on the mantle of the fireplace for his father to find. He arrived at the estate just before dinner, and he waited for the Beast to appear for dinner; but after the sun had set, the Beast had not yet shown. James wandered the grounds of the estate, searching for the Beast. He then remembered his dream, and rushed to wear the lilac bushes grew in the garden. There he found the Beast. 

James flung himself beside the Beast, and finding his heart still beating, he poured water upon the head of the Beast. As the Beast’s eyes opened, he regarded James with both kindness and remorse. 

“James, you neglected your promise,” he said weakly. “You did not return, and in misery, I have lain here; but now, that I may see you once more, I shall die satisfied.”

“Oh, Beast! You shall not die! For I believed my heart only held friendship for you, but beholding you here, I know now that I cannot live without you! Live to be my husband, for I shall marry you, and be only yours.”

No sooner than the words had left his mouth, the palace sparkled and gleamed brighter than day; and as soon as James could see, he viewed the handsome man from his dreams. Although this handsome prince was worthy of all the attention that James could give, he questioned. 

“Please tell me, where is the Beast?” James asked the prince, who then smiled. 

“He stands in front of you,” said the prince. “Please, my dear James; call me Thomas, for that is my name, and in returning to my human form I am worthy of it once more. A jealous fairy cast upon me a spell, to turn me into a hideous beast until another would consent to marry me in that form. You have broken this curse. You were the only one who could be swayed by my heart, and I can give you nothing in return.”

James took the hand of Thomas, and they entered the estate. To James’ surprise, there stood his family, and among them, a woman surrounded by beautiful light, that James could only infer to be a good fairy. 

“James, you shall be rewarded for your kindness of heart, with eternal happiness. You shall never be sad, never feel loss; and you shall never want for anything.”

The fairy then turned to Alexander, Hercules and Gilbert. 

“You may be the family of James, but your hearts are unlike his; they are full of malice and hate. You shall be transformed into statues that shall rest in this estate; but you will retain your wit, so you shall see the happiness of your brother for eternity. Only when you see your brother’s happiness and feel not an ounce of jealousy, or an ounce of misery at your brother’s good fortune, then you shall be returned to your human form; for a mind cured of malice and envy is a miracle.”

The fairy waved her wand, and everything was returned to as it was before the curse; and James’ brothers into statues. Thomas took the hand of James, and they lived together for the rest of their long, full lives; and so they lived happily ever after. 

THE END


	4. Let Down the Rope

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Rapunzel: Marquis de Lafayette  
> The Prince: Hercules Mulligan  
> Frau Gothel (The Sorceress): George Washington

Once upon a time, a man and his wife lived in a lovely cottage, with many neighbours. Their cottage was small, but it was quaint and lovely; they grew a beautiful bed of flowers in the front, and their door and window sills were painted bright colours. Their cottage was cheery, and they were always the first to invite their neighbours indoors for a cup of tea and a biscuit. They were beloved by all their friends. 

This man and his wife had longed for many years to have a child. While their hopes were strong, eventually they faded; many long years passed, and they did not have a child. They lived their lives in sorrow, for they desperately desired a child - however, they attempted to find happiness in ordinary events. Their loneliness grew year by year, and while they appeared happy to their neighbors, they wished constantly for a child. 

Through the rear window of their small cottage, they could behold the most splendid garden. The tomatoes that grew were always ripe and plump and the most beautiful shade of red. The cabbages were a great bit larger than any one would find at any market. The cauliflower flourished. The spinach was the loveliest shade of green, and the lettuce always appeared to be crisp. The rampion grew at the center of the garden, always appealing. This garden was surrounded by a large wall, and no person dared cross that wall, for the garden belonged to a sorcerer who possessed great powers. Each person feared the wrath of the sorcerer, so the garden was left untouched. 

One day, the woman was gazing out this small window of their cottage, when the rampion looked especially appealing to her. She began to crave this rampion, and she would gaze out of the window for many hours each day, growing sicker and sicker, for she would not eat anything. Eventually, though she knew the consequences, she went to her husband. 

“What is your dilemma, my wife?” he asked her. 

“There is beautiful rampion in the garden that belongs to the sorcerer. If I do not eat any of this delectable rampion, I shall surely die,” his wife said to him. “Please, bring me some of that rampion, my husband!” 

The husband waited until nightfall to sneak into the garden of the sorcerer. He ensured that the sorcerer was occupied, so that he could pick the rampion without being caught. He cut as much rampion as he could and stuffed it into a basket, and sticking to the shadows, he climbed back over the tall wall that separated his yard from the splendid garden of the sorcerer. Bringing the basket to his wife, he presented the rampion to her. 

“Oh!” She gushed over the rampion, finally having the chance to eat this delicious vegetable that she had beheld for so long in agony. “Thank you, my husband, for this rampion. Thank you to the sorcerer, for having grown it.”

The man thought it was unwise to thank the sorcerer, for the sorcerer was an ill-tempered man, and if he was to learn of the stolen rampion, sickness would become their last worry. The sorcerer was powerful, and those who crossed him in the slightest way were never heard from again. These were the people who forgot to bow when he passed at the street - and the sorcerer was extremely proud, and extremely protective, of his garden. However, while the man thought it unwise to thank the sorcerer, he did not silence his wife, and ruin her newfound happiness. 

The woman made a salad with the rampion, and as she ate it, her strength increased tremendously. She rationed the vegetable, so that it would last as long as it could, but eventually she found herself having eaten all the rampion. 

“Oh, my husband,” she begged, “please bring me more of that delectable rampion. If I do not have more, I shall surely die again.”

Her husband reluctantly agreed to procure more rampion from the sorcerer’s garden. That night, he snuck over the wall into the garden with two baskets and cut as much rampion as he could carry. He carted the baskets into his cottage and presented them to his wife. He received no thanks, as his wife immediately began to devour the vegetable. 

She ate more and more rampion each day, until she was eating only rampion for each meal, and she could go no longer than two hours without indulging herself. She paid no attention to anything else; she neglected the housework, the cooking, the maintaining of their own, smaller garden. The neighbors noticed her sudden change in behavior, and they stopped arriving for tea. 

“Oh, have you seen her?” one would ask. 

“Not recently. Not with the manner of hers, will I go to their cottage any time soon,” another would reply. 

“Oh, I pity her poor husband! Forced to take care of her, in her state! I do, for his sake, hope that she returns to the way she was before.”

“In a craze, she has gone! And over what? Some rampion! Obsessed with it, she is now. She eats nothing but that dreaded vegetable.”

The wife did not seem to notice this change from her neighbors, for she was too obsessed with the ramption. However, her husband did notice, and while he understood the cause of their actions, he did not dare speak with them, for fear of angering his wife if she found out that their neighbors, who had once come over nearly every day, were now avoiding them.

“Oh, my husband!” she would snap. “Bring me more rampion! I must have it! I must have that rampion from the sorcerer’s garden, or I will die! I wish for more rampion, and you shall be the one who brings it!” 

“Oh, this has gotten out of hand,” her husband thought. “I only ever intended to bring rampion for her so that she would not die! I brought her the rampion because she was ailing, nearly dying, and the vegetable might have been the only thing that would have kept my beloved wife alive. Perhaps I shall start bringing her less rampion, and remind her of the sorcerer’s wrath upon those who steal from him and disrespect him. She will come to her senses, I believe.”

He began to set this plan in motion, bringing less and less rampion when he snuck over to fetch the vegetable from the garden of the sorcerer. When his wife found less rampion then before, she went further into her craze. 

“You are depriving me of this rampion!” She screamed. “I shall die if I do not eat this beloved rampion! Do you wish for me to die? I think not! Bring me more rampion! I cannot live without it!” 

“My wife, I know that you love this rampion!” The husband tried to explain. “Remember that this rampion comes from the garden of the sorcerer, and we should not attempt to reckon with him. Image what he will do to us if he realizes our actions! We could die, or be turned into toads!”

“I shall die anyway, with this lack of rampion! Bring me the rampion!” 

His wife’s temper became uncontrollable, and any time she was not consuming this addictive rampion, she was fierce, distressed and angry. Her husband eventually resumed picking the rampion, if only out of fear for his safety. 

One night, the man snuck out back into the darkness with the hope of returning with rampion for his wife. He set out with unease settling in his stomach, for he was unsure if the sorcerer had noticed that his rampion - which grew back at an immensely quick speed - was routinely going missing. He entered the garden and looked around him desperately as he snuck over to where he knew the rampion was in the enormous garden. While looking behind him, he ran into something solid, and something that was certainly shaped like a person. The man turned his head around, and there stood the sorcerer. 

The sorcerer was extremely tall, and he towered over the man by many inches. He wore a sleek navy blue coat that was tailored at the neck, sleeves and in the waist. His face was expressionless, which scared the man more than it should, and he was completely motionless. It seemed as if he might be a statue, but then he tilted his head down to look at the man. 

“What are you doing in my garden?” the sorcerer demanded. 

The man stuttered, but he was unable to produce an answer for the sorcerer. He eventually drooped his head in defeat. 

“I shall rephrase my question, commoner. Why are you in my garden, so late at night, with several large baskets?” the sorcerer inquired, more sternly than before. 

The man collected his thoughts and began his explanation. 

“I … my wife … she wanted the rampion,” the man tried to explain. “She was ailing, and she was going to die, and … she begged me for the rampion! Now I take it because I fear for my life, if I do not return with more!” 

“I see,” said the sorcerer, and those were the only words that passed from his mouth for a long while. The man stood there, staring at the sorcerer, waiting for his next action. Eventually the man became restless and backed away from the sorcerer. 

“I did not say that you could move,” spoke the sorcerer, never losing his bleak tone. The man stopped in his tracks. 

“Why are you waiting?” he demanded, suddenly surprised by his burst of confidence. 

“I am deciding what will become of you and your wife.”

The man became very scared. This was exactly what he had feared when he had first began to collect the rampion. He was filled with even more terror when the sorcerer suddenly smiled - a very eerie, unnerving smile. 

“Ah,” sighed the sorcerer. “I know what I shall do.”

The man began to shake. 

“Oh, please, do not hurt me!” he screamed. 

“I shall not hurt you, commoner. Nor your wife,” the sorcerer said calmly. 

“Then what shall happen?” the man demanded. 

“As payment for the rampion you have stolen from me, you shall give me the child that your wife is carrying,” said the sorcerer. “In nine months’ time, she shall bear a child. This child will be mine. If you refuse, you and your wife shall both die.”

“Very well,” replied the man, leaving the garden. His wife did not seem to mind that he returned with no rampion; she seemed to be cured of her addiction to the vegetable. After she discovered that she was pregnant, the couple lived, happier than they had ever been. While the husband celebrated with his wife, he never forgot the promise he had made the sorcerer - that their child would be his. 

They lived many happy months, expecting their child. Finally, on a beautiful spring day, their son was born. He had the most beautiful curls, dark as the night; and his eyes, brown as fresh soil. They named their beloved son Gilbert, and they cherished every moment with him. His mother did not realize that her moments with her son would be the last. The father loved his son, but he worried for the moment that the sorcerer would come and collect the child. 

That day came too soon. The sorcerer appeared and demanded the child as payment for the rampion they had stolen from his garden. Gilbert’s mother screamed and cried and begged the sorcerer to show mercy to her and her child, but the sorcerer did not budge. He took the small child and returned to his own house. 

“Now, child,” the sorcerer said. “You shall not have a terrible life here. I shall feed you, dress you, and treat you with kindness and grace as if you were my own. From this moment forward you are no longer payment for bad deeds done, but my own son.”

The sorcerer took Gilbert to a cottage in the woods. This cottage was quaint, and Gilbert had a happy childhood. He often played amongst the birds and the chipmunks that would run amuck, never seeming to fear either Gilbert or the sorcerer. He grew up in and around nature, learning the different types of trees and the different types of plants. His life was truly serene, and he never would have guessed that he had been stolen away from his parents at birth to live with a sorcerer. For all he knew, the sorcerer was his father, and he had no mother. 

Years passed since the day the sorcerer had taken Gilbert from the poor couple. Gilbert was an excellent, cheerful child, but was unaware of the world of people that surrounded the forest. He had grown up around animals, and he did not understand the ways of the society from which he had been isolated as a child. 

Gilbert, at age seven, was once found tending to the broken wing of a sparrow that had fallen from a nearby tree. As he bound the wing, he looked up at the sorcerer. 

“Father, can we keep it until it can fly again?” Gilbert questioned. 

“Of course,” replied the sorcerer, a smile on his face. 

“Father, why do I see no sparrows by the edge of the woods? They do not fly out that far,” the young boy questioned. 

“This is because the men of the world are cruel,” the sorcerer explained. “If they saw a sparrow, they would shoot it down, for the sparrow might damage their crops or destroy their land.”

“But no land truly belongs to one person, does it? We all share the land with the animals around us.”

“This is how we live, Gilbert, but not the way that many others live. Also, my child, do not begin sentences with ‘but’. It is improper.”

“Yes, father.”

Gilbert also grew accustomed to the magic that he saw in his life. As a small child he was fascinated by it, but as he grew to adolescence, it became an ordinary part of his life. He thought very little about how his world would function if he had to wash the dishes instead of the dishes washing themselves. He never did an ounce of work that he did not wish to do, for the magic would complete it instead. In this way, he lived a life of luxury and a life of contentment. He never realized until perhaps he was eight years of age that the world functioned without magic on a day-to-day basis, so when the soldiers would come marching through the forest, Gilbert always had many questions for his father. 

“Father, why do they not use magic to light a fire? Why do they use their hands? Why are they hunting the animals in the forest, when they can simply make plants grow? Why do they complain about the pain of riding on horses, when they can use magic to make their pain go away?” the young Gilbert questioned. 

“This is because, Gilbert, not all of the world can use magic. Truthfully, magic is very rare, and very few people have a mastery of what the commoners regard as magic.”

“But, how do they survive?” 

“They work with their hands, unlike the way you and I work. They labour in the fields, they maintain their houses without magic, and by this, they grow very strong. Again, Gilbert: what have I told you before about using ‘but’ at the beginning of a sentence?” 

“Sorry, father. I won’t do it again.” 

As Gilbert’s fifteenth birthday came and left, he grew extremely impatient due to the fact that he could not interact with other people aside from the sorcerer. 

“Father,” he asked. “Father, when may I go out to the world and see it with my own two eyes? You tell me stories of the people, of the world around us, but I have never been permitted to be a part of it. I am older, and I am responsible now.”

“Oh, Gilbert,” said the sorcerer, “the world is a cruel and terrible place. You have grown up in the forest, safe from the people outside. You are not prepared for the harshness of society; people are cynical, only motivated for self-interest. They only want the best for themselves, and they care not for the people around them. Stay here, with me. I care for you, and I can keep you safe here, Gilbert. Stay here, away from society.”

Gilbert listened to his father’s advice, but he still longed to see the world. He knew the forest by heart, but he was never allowed to travel beyond where the trees faded and turned into cobblestone-paved roads. He had to stay away from the trod paths through the forest, keeping to the deep parts of the trees. Gilbert pretended to have learned from his father’s advice, and he stayed in the cottage for the earlier part of the evening, reading one of the old books that resided in their living room, gifted to Gilbert over the years. He listened until he knew his father had gone to bed, then snuck out of the cottage towards the path through the forest.

He had packed a small bag of food, with all of his possessions. He trekked through the forest, relying on his memory of the forest to guide him to the pathway, from where he could continue into the world of people. He kept glancing around, hearing the rustling of the leaves and the noises of all the animals that come out at night. He shivered, suddenly much colder. 

_ The forest isn’t quite the same at night, _ he thought somberly. 

He turned around suddenly and came to face his father. Gilbert was immediately filled with fear and despair as he looked up at the emotionless face of his father, Gilbert’s face so much like that of the man who had stolen rampion from a sorcerer so many years ago.

“Gilbert, I’m disappointed,” said the sorcerer. His voice was as emotionless as his face. “Come with me, son.”

Gilbert was dragged back to the cottage harshly by his father. To his surprise, he was pulled away from his cottage in the other direction, heading east. 

“Father, where are we going?” Gilbert cried into the dark night. His voice echoed. 

“Somewhere to keep you safe,” was the only response. 

Gilbert was brought to stand in front of a tall tower, aged and crumbling. Gilbert had discovered it as a child, and he had always dreamed that it was a tower that had belonged to a large palace, and that a prince had once lived there. 

“Father,” Gilbert said, scared to finish his thought.

The sorcerer simply levitated Gilbert until he was able to stare inside the tower. Looking down, Gilbert realized how high up he was and clung to the bricks of the tower. However, they were slippery, and he could not maintain a grip. The magic propelled him into the tower, and he stumbled to his feet. He looked out the window to watch the sorcerer standing at the foot of the tower, near the door. He watched in horror as chains materialized and locked the door shut.

“I always feared doing this, Gilbert,” the sorcerer cried above the wind, “but now I have no choice. Here, you cannot escape. Here, you will be safe.”

Gilbert sobbed, but nobody could hear his cries. The wind howled around him, and he felt truly alone.

Time passed, and Gilbert survived in the abandoned tower. He was not starved to death; the sorcerer provided food for his adopted son every day. Gilbert was allowed to read the books he had been permitted to read before, but he was not allowed to leave the tower in the slightest. He began to sing to waste away the time, except when the sorcerer visited. He would go and call,

“Gilbert, let down the rope!” 

So Gilbert would hook the long, enchanted rope around the top of the tower and pull up the sorcerer into the tower. There he would stay, and talk to his son. He would talk of the goings-on of the forest, and tell him new stories of the land of people. The favourite of Gilbert were the stories of a young prince, the same age as he, who was known for his strength and his bravery. He was well-respected by his people, and he was next in line to be king of the kingdom. His name was Hercules, named after the legendary hero. 

Gilbert would sing with the birds that he used to listen to as a child in the woods. He would imitate their melodies, and it blended with the sounds of the forest. His voice was lovely, and his voice would echoed throughout the forest. 

 

One day, a prince was riding through the woods, traveling to a neighboring kingdom on the other side of the woods. He was lost in his thoughts, traveling on the downtrodden path, when he suddenly heard the voice of Gilbert sound through the trees. He sat on his horse, mesmerized, before he set off the path, determined to find the source of this beautiful voice. 

He rode through the woods, tracking the beautiful sound, until he discovered the tower where Gilbert was living. He watched from a distance when he spotted a man approaching the tower. The man threw down his hood and called out to the singer. 

“Gilbert, let down the rope!” 

Gilbert threw down the rope, and the sorcerer climbed up into the tower. The prince watched with interest for several hours, until the sorcerer climbed back down the rope and departed. He then slowly approached the tower. 

“Oh, Gilbert!” called the prince from the ground. “Let down the rope to me, so that I may see the one with such a beautiful voice!” 

Gilbert poked his head out of the window of the tower. “Why might you be? I cannot lower the rope to just any stranger. Tell me your name!” 

The prince smiled. “My name is Prince Hercules!” 

Gilbert gasped.  _ Could this be the prince from the stories? The prince that my father has talked about? _

Gilbert lowered down the rope to the prince, and he hauled him up into the top of the tower. Gilbert saw the face of the prince and was immediately mesmerised. His dark eyes were warm and kind, his smile radiant. 

“You are exactly how I imagined you,” Gilbert sighed. 

“Imagined me? How would you have known who I am?” Hercules questioned. 

“My father always tells me stories of a brave prince Hercules, who was beloved by his own people and those of the surrounding kingdoms. You appear exactly how I imagined this ‘Prince Hercules’, strong and brave,” Gilbert explains. 

“Tell me, how would your father know who I am, if you live here in the forest?” Hercules demanded. 

“My father - he is a very powerful sorcerer. He travels all around, brings me books to read and tells me stories.”

“A sorcerer? That means … your father can’t be Washington, can it?” Hercules muses, suddenly worried. 

“Hercules? What is the problem?” Gilbert asked, nervous at the sudden change of behaviour. 

“I must go,” declared Hercules. He said nothing more as Gilbert let down the rope, allowing Hercules to climb down from the tower and leave. 

_ That was a peculiar conversation.  _

_ Oh, but Prince Hercules! The one I have heard from all the stories that Father has told me!  _

Hercules continued his visits to Gilbert. They were infrequent, but they grew more common as time went on and Hercules learned when the sorcerer would be away. One visit, he came in the afternoon and stayed until the sun set over the horizon. They watched the sky fade from blue to a brilliant pink, and finally, to black. Gilbert, however, had something on his mind. 

“Hercules,” Gilbert said, but with hesitation in his voice, “why were you worried when you learned my father was a sorcerer?” 

Hercules took a deep breath. “There is only one sorcerer in all the lands, and his name is George Washington. A great many people are very afraid of him, because he is very powerful and he can be very mean. He has very little patience, and he does not take well to disobeyed orders. He does not always use his powers to benefit others, and would rather use his magic to punish people who do him wrong.”

“He is my father!” Gilbert protested. “He raised me from a young age, after my parents abandoned me. He has done nothing bad to me! I cannot believe that he is a terrible man. I will not believe it.”

“He locked you in this tower, did he not?” Hercules questioned. 

“He locked me in the tower for my own good. He locked me here to protect me.” While Gilbert had not believed that at age fifteen, he certainly had grown to believe it over the years, trapped in the tower. 

“To protect you from whom?” was the only response from Hercules. “He wishes to keep you trapped here, indebted to him. I doubt that your parents abandoned you, for I have heard that he takes children from their parents as favours.”

Gilbert had nothing else to say. They sat in silence for a bit longer. 

“Tomorrow I have to go and choose a wife,” Hercules confessed. “I am going to a neighboring kingdom, and there I will be married. The king has three daughters, and I am to choose one to marry.”

Gilbert was speechless. 

“My father knows I do not wish to marry one of the princesses. I have begged him, but he is relentless. It is easier, I suppose, to give in to his wishes; for I could never convince him to allow me to marry another man. My heart lies apart from my duty as a prince.”

There was a long pause between the two. Gilbert hung his head, speechless. 

“I suppose I should leave,” lamented Hercules to nobody in particular. He leaned over and kissed the tip of Gilbert’s nose. “May we meet again, in our dreams.”

Hercules left Gilbert sitting on the floor of the tower as he climbed down the rope to the ground. Gilbert watched his prince mount his horse and ride off into the distance, disappearing between the trees. 

His days were filled with sorrow, for he missed his prince. His only company was the sorcerer, who noticed his son’s unhappiness and did everything in his power to ensure that his son was amused. He purchased new books from every corner of the continent, hoping that new stories would interest Gilbert. He purchased paints and easels, musical instruments - anything that would distract his son from whatever misery he was experiencing. Nothing helped. 

One day, after the sorcerer had brought his affairs to a close kingdom, he returned to the tower with news. 

“Gilbert, let down the rope!” he called, and his son silently helped his father climb into the tower. 

“Gilbert, I have news. Prince Hercules, the one you loved, from my stories? He has chosen a bride. He will be married this weekend. How exciting!” 

Instead of the expected happiness at news from the prince from his stories so long ago, Gilbert flung himself to the corner of the tower and began to sob. The sorcerer began to leave in silence, knowing he could not console his son. 

Gilbert did not realize that the sorcerer could still hear him when he whispered softly, “You were always so much kinder.”

The sorcerer whirled around towards Gilbert. “Who was kinder?” he accused. 

Gilbert stammered. “Uh … um … nobody!” he exclaimed. 

“You have invited others into this tower!” spat the sorcerer. “You have betrayed me, and communicated with the terrible world of people around us!” 

The sorcerer grabbed Gilbert by the arm and dragged him to the front of the tower, and quickly dragged his son across the forest to a swamp. The sorcerer flung his son into the water. 

“You will stay here for the rest of your days. There will be no fortune for you if you escape!” the sorcerer declared. “Journey to the edge of the swamp if you wish. Only misfortune will befall you if you leave this swamp. It is your curse. You shall never see the one for whom you have betrayed me again!”

Gilbert sat in the water as the sorcerer left. He allowed the tears to flow freely down his face, dripping from his chin to the knee-deep swamp water in which he sat. The clear droplets hit the murky water, causing a collection of ripples across the still pond. 

“Hercules, Hercules,” he lamented to nobody in particular, “why is this our fate? Is there anyone to blame? My father is a good man, a powerful man who wanted to keep me safe - I can see that. Is there really any one cause to our misery, for my father cannot be blamed - for if I was raised by any other, we would never have met. I cannot blame you, or myself, for our predicament, for neither of us wished our lives to end like this. Who is to blame for our misfortune?

“Can we ever regain what we have lost? I am here, in this swamp, and I can never leave to go find you. You are to be married, and even if you do care for me, you can never find me again. You will never find this swamp, and you will never know where I am. Oh, our misfortune, that we must be separated!”

Gilbert wallowed in his despair, but the Prince Hercules was suffering of his own accord. As soon as it was declared that he was to be married, he took his horse and rode off into the woods towards the tower where he had met Gilbert so long ago. 

“Gilbert, let down the rope for me one last time!” he cried out. The rope descended from the tower, and he climbed. To his surprise, he did not find Gilbert, but he found the sorcerer waiting for him, a look of calm anger on his face. 

“So, it is you, Prince Hercules, who found my son,” said the sorcerer. “It is you who filled him with false ideals about the world around this forest, and you who made him wish to leave. While it was not you who I guessed, it makes the most sense.”

Hercules was afraid, but the sorcerer was not finished. 

“It was you who destroyed my son, poisoned his mind, drew him away from me!” he exploded. “For this, you shall suffer.”

The sorcerer flung Hercules out of the window of the tower, causing him to fall into a large patch of rosebushes, which pierced his eyes and made him blind. 

Gilbert lived in the swamp, attempting to survive with his limited resources. Hercules wandered the forest with his horse, blind and miserable. Gilbert passed the time by singing, the old song that had once drawn the prince to his tower. 

Hercules heard the melody one day, and he was enchanted, knowing it to be his Gilbert. 

“Gilbert! Gilbert, I am here!” he cried out, following the sound. 

Hercules’ cries were heard, and Gilbert travelled to the edge of the swamp, singing all the way until he came face to face with his prince. 

“Oh, Hercules! Your eyes!” he exclaimed, tears dripping down his face. 

“I shall survive,” Hercules declared. “I am with you now, and so I will be happy.”

Hercules then took Gilbert’s face in his hands and kissed him, and they lived happily ever after. 

The End. 


End file.
